What happens when following Jesus means walking away from the person you’re attracted to? Saying no when the world tells you it’s normal to say yes? Holding a boundary when no one would blame you for crossing it? Or choosing obedience when compromise would be easier and honestly, more convenient?
Faith is easy to talk about when it isn’t costing you anything.
Dating in today’s culture is already complicated. But dating as a man of faith brings another question entirely:
My guest today is Brad Ledford. Brad is a California cowboy but online he’s become a voice for something that feels increasingly countercultural: what it looks like to lead well, pursue relationships intentionally, and be a man whose private choices actually match the faith he professes publicly.
But Brad’s faith isn’t a highlight reel.
He’s walked through seasons that challenged what he believed and forced him to decide what was truly non-negotiable. Those convictions have shaped the way he dates, the boundaries he sets, the kind of husband he hopes to become—and even his experience being cast for last seasons The Bachelorette that ultimately never aired.
it’s one thing to say you have standards when they’ve never been tested. It's another thing to keep them when there’s an opportunity in front of you, when you’re lonely, or when culture tells you you’re being too rigid.
Because we live in a world that tells us to follow our feelings, keep our options open, avoid labels, sleep together before commitment, and leave the second something becomes uncomfortable.
So where does conviction fit into modern dating?
Can you date with standards without becoming judgmental?
Can you desire sex and still choose purity?
Can you be intentional without rushing?
Will you stay devoted to Jesus when obedience costs you the relationship or the opportunity you wanted?
And for the men listening: What does it actually mean to lead a relationship instead of simply saying you’re a “man of God”?
This is Brad’s story.